Pope Leo XIV Urges UN to Ban Lethal Autonomous Weapons

Pope Leo XIV, in a Friday address, urged United Nations member states to take concrete steps toward banning lethal autonomous weapons at their upcoming meeting in Geneva. He called for the disarmament of AI systems, emphasizing that machines are tools, not persons, and that humans bear responsibility to guide, change, and, when necessary, reject their applications. The call echoes themes from his first major papal document released in May, which highlighted safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. By framing AI as a tool rather than a sentient entity, the Pope underscores the ethical imperative to prevent autonomous weapons from operating without human oversight. His remarks add a moral dimension to ongoing international discussions on AI governance and weapons control.